Rexall Vitamin C 500 mg Review

This product gives 500 mg of vitamin C a day, above the 200 mg daily dose that worked in studies. A pooled review of 29 placebo-controlled trials with 11,306 people found that vitamin C did not make colds less common in the general public. It did make them about half as common in marathon runners, skiers and soldiers, and colds were 8% shorter in adults and 14% shorter in children ^[1]. A review of 10 trials found colds were 15% less severe at 1 gram or more a day, which is twice this product's dose ^[2]. Another pooled analysis found a 4% lower risk of respiratory infections and 9% shorter symptoms ^[3]. In 1,444 army recruits taking 6,000 mg a day, cold risk was 20% lower than with placebo ^[4]. However, a review of eight reviews concluded that vitamin C does not prevent colds ^[5]. In 674 marine recruits taking 2 grams a day, colds were neither less common nor shorter, though they were rated less severe ^[6]. Overall, vitamin C may shorten colds slightly, but it does little to prevent them in most people. Animal and cell studies are never counted.

Most of the panel recommends or uses vitamin C, and the main reasons are collagen support, skin health, and immune support. Several of them pair it with collagen, with one suggesting it about an hour before a workout, and one also mentions taking it with coffee. On doses, one panelist takes 250 mg and another takes an extra gram a day, one suggests about a gram a day split into divided doses, one suggests about 500 mg at the first sign of a cold, and another says 2 to 4 grams can reduce inflammation. One panelist says the best dose is uncertain and that high doses might blunt some of the benefits of exercise, and one says supplementing beyond normal levels has not been shown to protect against cataracts. One panelist stopped using a vitamin C serum because of its smell, and a few prefer it on the skin or from foods like lemon and guava instead of pills.

The review summary describes other products, such as a chewable orange tablet, rose hip tablets and versions sold in Europe and at Dollar General, and calls review volume small, which does not match the plain 500 mg vitamin C tablets or the 4,700 counted reviews. Its reviews are set aside, so it is graded on its studies alone. Human studies support Vitamin C (10 of 33 human studies showed an improvement), but there are not yet enough reviews to confirm it (0).

Combine with: For immune support, vitamin C pairs well with zinc, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2 for broader immune and general wellness coverage. Elderberry or quercetin can complement it, since quercetin may help vitamin C recycling and has antioxidant activity. If the real goal is blood flow, vitamin C can serve as a supportive antioxidant alongside L-citrulline or L-arginine, beet root nitrate, and omega-3 fish oil. Vitamin E and CoQ10 may also help support vascular health. Taking vitamin C with iron-rich meals boosts non-heme iron absorption, so avoid that pairing if you have hemochromatosis, and check with a clinician if you take meds or have a history of kidney stones.